Nabeul

Nabeul is a small city of just about 60,000 people (probably a few thousand less) and is a place that many visitors will find themselves during a visit to Tunisia. Nabeul is also the main administrative centre of the governerate of Nabeul and area that includes a large piece of the Cap Bon region and the major tourist area of Hammamet, which increasingly is becoming more famous than Nabeul itself.

When you drive to Nabuel from Hammamet, you can see the numerous travel agencies and hotels on the road and this tells you that this is one of the main administrative centres for tourism in Tunisia although the concentration of hotels and restaurants reduces as you get the Nabuel itself as this is very much a working town as well as a touristic one.

If you want to see the beach and all the thing in Nabuel is it worth either having a car or money for taxis as the beach/ruins are not near the town centre.

As you enter the town you become aware of what it is famous for pretty quickly and this is the production and selling of pottery which is reflected by the statues in the entry to the town and on junctions about the towns ring roads. The style of pottery is typically Tunisian with a pleasant bright design and a variety of practical applications. This is a good place to go if you’re buying larger items for the garden or home as a number of stores were running offers on the larger jugs and urns especially on the road to Tunis just outside Nabuel.

Gate into the medina

As you get into the town proper, you notice that this is a clean town where they take a little more care of the streets than many in Tunisia. This also extends to the Medina of the town which, whilst not massive, is charming and well looked after.

In this area you get the usual tourist products and handicrafts and is a nice place to have a coffee given the large walkway though the middle.

When you come out the other side of the medina, you come to the administrative section of the town with some nice trees and buildings. Near this area there is a lovely mosque also which has an tall minaret on what seems to be a very small base to the site of the mosque.

You can then make the most of you time by walking about the town where there are some nice buildings. Nabuel is a good place to take some photos and take some ideas for your Tunisian house if your thinking of building one, not to mention indoor and outdoor tiles.

The Beach

The beach in Nabuel is actually not next to the town centre and is about a 20 min walk. In fact the space between the beach and the town can feel a little empty and I advise you take a taxi.

When I was at the beach there was hardly anyone there at all and this was quite nice as the beach is not as built up as others can be so offers a relaxing environment though this might be boring to some.

The beach is large and sweeping with a nice promenade.

Summary

Nabuel is a nice town for a day trip or half day, it is not lively but offers a nice place in which to relax. It is also well connected so if you get a good hotel deal you have the opportunity to jump to Hammamet, Yasmine and Tunis if you get bored.

Prices are more than normal as this is a wealthy town but not expensive like Tunis and Hammamet tourist zones so you can keep to a budget.